Rare Rides Company

Rare Rides Company is a classic car dealership and consignment business at 128 Innovation Drive in Statesville, North Carolina, about 45 miles north of Charlotte along the I-77 and I-40 corridor. The company says it lives and breathes classic cars, and its indoor showroom features what it calls a constantly changing lineup of muscle cars, restomods and vintage drivers. The business site names John Gibson as the person leading the operation and says he brings restoration and sales experience. We could not find a founding year or a published company history.

A dealer with a consignment program

Rare Rides sells cars from the showroom floor and also takes cars on consignment. In a consignment sale the car's owner still owns it until it sells, and the dealer handles the marketing, buyer calls and negotiation for a fee. Listings of the company describe it as a licensed and insured consignment dealer, though we could not confirm those claims independently, so ask about its license and insurance if that matters to you. If you are weighing this route, our guide to consigning a classic explains typical fees and what to ask before signing.

What Rare Rides sells

The company's website highlights popular makes including Chevrolet, Ford, Buick, Jaguar and Lincoln, and describes the stock as heavy on muscle cars, restomods and older driver-quality classics. Directory descriptions also mention some racers and European models. ClassicCars.com listed about three dozen of its vehicles at the time of our research, though the count shifts as cars sell. The site also keeps a recently sold page, which is a helpful way to see what kinds of cars the dealership moves and at what pace.

Buying from Rare Rides

The website offers several tools for shoppers:

• Financing requests through the site.
• A car locator service for buyers who want help finding a specific model.
• A make an offer feature on listed vehicles.

The company says it avoids high-pressure selling and aims to be honest about each car's condition and what it needs. That is worth testing in practice. Ask for a detailed description, the VIN, title information and service history, and consider an independent inspection before you pay, particularly because a consigned car may belong to a private owner with limited records.

Selling through Rare Rides

Owners who want to sell can ask the company about consigning. Directory descriptions say the dealership handles advertising, phone calls, negotiation and delivery details. Fees, minimum prices and the length of an agreement are not published, so get them in writing, along with who pays for detailing, minor repairs and transport.

Reputation

A Tripadvisor page exists for the showroom, but we could not view it, and we did not find enough verified review data or a BBB profile to cite a rating. Judge the dealer on the specific car and the paperwork. You can also see how many of its cars have sold by browsing its recently sold page.

Visiting Rare Rides

The showroom is at 128 Innovation Drive, Statesville, NC 28677. The company's site lists hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, with Sunday and Monday closed. You can call 980-306-8100 or email [email protected]. For more options nearby, see more classic cars in North Carolina.